It is often desirable to employ a transportable cleaning or work station which provides cleaning fluids and resources, as well as a workspace and/or storage space that facilitates the containment and collection of spent cleaning fluids and wastewater. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,066,096 to Harker et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety, discloses a portable cleaning apparatus that attaches to a trailer. However, Harker et al. fails to teach a system with a defined workspace and/or storage space that allows for the containment of cleaning fluids as they are sprayed or dispensed in a cleaning operation. Harker et al. also fails to teach an apparatus which conveniently stores both clean and soiled fluids in tanks which also operate to surround a workspace or storage space.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,132,509 to Kuschnereit discloses a self-contained, trailer-mounted, portable wash and paint facility. U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,408 to Stevens et al. discloses a mobile fireproofing and coating apparatus with a work platform mounted on the unit. Kuschnereit and Stevens et al. fail to teach, however, a device where the containment or storage tanks for working fluids also function as work-space or storage space walls or housings. These patents are also incorporated by this reference in their entireties.
Furthermore, it is often desirable in cleaning operations to contain waste fluids from washing activities and to treat those fluids for appropriate disposal, recycling and/or possible reuse in subsequent cleaning operations. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/032,562 filed on Feb. 15, 2008 and U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009-0065442-A1, both of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties, include some of these characteristics. However, these and similar systems delay treatment of spent fluid and are inefficient in treating and recycling the waste fluids and/or greywater. Applicant's previously filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/480,515, which does not teach the use of storage tanks which double as trailer walls, discloses a wash and waste fluid treatment system which address these concerns and is hereby incorporated by this reference in its entirety.
Accordingly, there has been a long-felt and unmet need for a towed portable cleaning station with a fluid storage means, which storage means also functions as the surrounding structure of a cleaning station. The following disclosure describes a towed cleaning station that employs a novel combination of features that address these long felt needs.